{"id":2220,"date":"2009-08-09T03:56:44","date_gmt":"2009-08-09T03:56:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thehogs.net\/blogs\/?p=2220"},"modified":"2025-06-01T23:49:52","modified_gmt":"2025-06-02T03:49:52","slug":"french-ready-for-next-challenge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/the-hogs.net\/blogs\/2009\/08\/09\/french-ready-for-next-challenge\/","title":{"rendered":"French Ready for Next Challenge"},"content":{"rendered":"
\nMark French in 2002.<\/div>\n

The German philosopher, Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, famously said, \u201cthat which does not destroy us makes us stronger\u201d and for new Hershey Bears head coach, Mark French, that statement could not ring any truer.<\/p>\n

After being fired in his only previous professional head coaching job by the Wichita Thunder of the Central Hockey League in December of 2007, and then serving a short stint as a volunteer coach with the Reading Royals of the East Coast Hockey League, French arrived as in Hershey in January of 2008 to begin his job as Bob Woods\u2019 assistant coach.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou find out a lot about yourself in adverse situations. Everybody\u2019s a good coach when things are going well and you have great players, but you truly find out a lot about your character and intestinal fortitude when things don\u2019t go well,” said French.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know I\u2019ve become stronger as a person, and I think that\u2019s the biggest thing I\u2019ve taken from that experience, no matter what the circumstances are, I\u2019ve been able to overcome it and land on my feet.\u201d<\/p>\n

French, who played four years of college hockey and graduated with a Bachelor Degree in Psychology from Brock University in Canada, receiving the highly regarded “212 Degrees” award each year, presented to the athlete who demonstrates leadership, commitment and excellence on the ice, still benefits from the lessons learned at that institute.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the one thing that going to university and getting a degree, the biggest thing it taught me was how to learn; and the thirst for knowledge, and that\u2019s how I\u2019ve always been as a coach,” he reflected. “So, I think that\u2019s what it\u2019s provided me, always striving to learn a little more.\u201d<\/p>\n

While it might seem that his degree would benefit him in his dealings with the multiple personalities that comprise a hockey club, French is not so sold on that line of thinking.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know if there\u2019s a direct correlation with the psychology, but I\u2019ve got a hunger for knowledge and I love the game of hockey and all of the nuances of the game of hockey and I always want to be learning.”<\/p>\n

After the recently concluded Washington Capitals prospect camp, French said the experience was like his previous ones, with one notable exception.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think it was much different, but certainly when I got a chance to introduce myself, it\u2019s nice to put the head coach title beside it,” French said. “That was the only thing that was different, it was just nice to be here for a second year and get comfortable with the players and staff.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unlike recent affiliations that Hershey has had, which saw them not always reading from the same book, their most recent union with the Capitals has saw the partners not only reading from the same book, but being on the same page. With that happy unison spurning two Calder Cups, French had a simple one word answer, \u201cno\u201d, when I asked him if fans should expect a discernable difference in the Bears\u2019 style of play now that he has switched roles.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the one nice thing that has been done with Washington and Hershey is that we basically play the same style, and that\u2019s dictated by the Caps. So, if there was a change in their philosophy, that would be mirrored in Hershey. Bruce\u2019s system has proven to be very successful; we employed it last year in Hershey and were also very successful, so, there\u2019s certainly no need to change our style.\u201d<\/p>\n

French\u2019s promotion opened up a spot for an assistant coach; and that position has been filled by Troy Mann, who previously turned down the position in the midst of the 2007-08 season, opening the door for French to join the organization.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven prior to me getting the head-coaching job, the whole organization talked about getting him,\u201d said French. “Bruce (Boudreau) has a very good relationship with him, Bob (Woods) played with him and I\u2019ve known him for many years, as has Doug (Yingst, Hershey\u2019s General Manager). Bruce probably knows him best, but at the same time everybody knows what values and type of work ethic he brings to the table.\u201d<\/p>\n

French and family in 2009.<\/div>\n

When asked what was his most cherished memory of last year\u2019s title run, French, who had answered all of my previous questions with certainty and swiftness, pondered the question for a few seconds before offering up his response.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter Keith Aucoin scored that empty net goal late in game six. We had scored the three quick (first period) goals and then it was a long wait, where every second seemed like an eternity; and the game still seemed to be very much on the line up until that point, especially when Manitoba made it 3-1. When he scored that goal with just over a minute left, you could really start to bring yourself to enjoy it and reflect.\u201d<\/p>\n

In French\u2019s upcoming first season leading the boys from Chololatetown, Bears fans are hoping that the results will be a mirror image of last year\u2019s successful campaign.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mark French in 2002. The German philosopher, Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, famously said, \u201cthat which does not destroy us makes us stronger\u201d and for new Hershey Bears head coach, Mark French, that statement could not ring any truer. After being fired in his only previous professional head coaching job by the Wichita Thunder of the Central … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[324,1890,495,496],"class_list":["post-2220","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-washington-capitals","tag-bob-woods","tag-hershey-bears","tag-mark-french","tag-wichita-thunder"],"yoast_head":"\nFrench Ready for Next Challenge | The-Hogs.net<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/the-hogs.net\/blogs\/2009\/08\/09\/french-ready-for-next-challenge\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"French Ready for Next Challenge | The-Hogs.net\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Mark French in 2002. The German philosopher, Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, famously said, \u201cthat which does not destroy us makes us stronger\u201d and for new Hershey Bears head coach, Mark French, that statement could not ring any truer. After being fired in his only previous professional head coaching job by the Wichita Thunder of the Central ... 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